Prove It
by Merrymary05
Summary: Serena and Darien were friends in kindergarten, but something changed. Now as seniors in high school Darien wants to start over. Can he prove he's sincere? Note: No sailor scout action. My summaries suck...
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: This is the first full length story I've ever made public. The idea popped in my head this morning and I ran with it. I'm not sure how it's gonna turn out, but it's worth a try. Please let me know how I'm doing. I wanna become a better writer as more ideas come to me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters.**

_Chapter 1: Prologue_

Two five year old children were playing on the swing set at recess on the first day of kindergarten. One was a brown haired boy with thick rimmed glasses and freckles and the other was a chubby blonde girl with a smile that lit up her face. She was laughing with delight as he pushed her higher and higher and finally slowed down so her friend could have a turn. "Did you have fun, Serena?" he asked when she came to a stop.

"Yeah Melvin," she said with a laugh. "It's so fun when you go so high."

"It's my turn," a female voice said meanly. Serena turned around and found a red headed girl standing over Melvin surrounded by other children. "Out of my way, Nerd!"

"You can't talk to my friend like that," Serena said going to help Melvin up. "If you wanted a turn on the swing all you had to do was ask nicely."

"Do you know who I am? I'm Beryl and my daddy's the principal so I can do what I want." She laughed "You're lucky you didn't break it when you were on it, Fatty."

"Ugly Fatty," a little boy started chanting. "Ugly Fatty, Ugly Fatty…" The other kids started chanting with him and got louder and louder. Serena finally ran away crying while Melvin ran after her.

"That's right, run away you crybaby!" Beryl shouted after them before getting on the swing.

"Serena," Melvin called once he ran a good distance away from the playground. "Where are you?" He heard crying behind a giant oak tree and followed the noise. He found Serena sitting there with her head in her hands and sat next to her. "Don't cry, Sere," Melvin said. "At least they didn't call you a nerd."

"But you're _hiccup_ not a nerd," Serena said looking up at him. "You're my best friend."

Melvin smiled at her. "And you're not an ugly fatty. You're my best friend." He hugged her and smiled. "I like this tree you found. It's so big."

"This can be our secret hiding place when those kids won't leave us alone," Serena sniffled.

"Good idea, Serena!" Melvin exclaimed happily. "We can eat lunch here too."

-----

A month passed, but Beryl and her friends would not stop teasing Serena and Melvin so they made their tree a permanent area for them to go to during lunch and recess time. One day a new student was introduced to the class. "Children, this is Darien Shields," Mrs. Long said pointing to a little boy with black hair at the front of the classroom. "Please make him feel welcome." The class applauded for him, but he didn't seem affected. "Darien you can sit at the desk next to Beryl," she told him. "Beryl please wave so he knows who you are." Beryl waved enthusiastically while Darien slowly made his way to the desk. He didn't pay attention to anything anyone was saying and kept his head down the whole time.

It was time for lunch and Serena and Melvin went straight to their tree, but were surprised to see that someone was already sitting there. "Oh no!" Melvin said. "Someone found our tree. What if it's one of Beryl's friends?"

Serena heard crying and frowned. "Whoever it is sounds sad. Let's go see if we can cheer them up." She and Melvin approached the person sitting by their tree quietly. Whoever it was sat with their knees to their chest, had arms covering their face, and a mop of black hair. "Hey, are you ok?" Serena asked once she took a seat and touched their arm.

The person looked up as if he were startled and swiped hastily at his tears. "I'm fine," he lied.

"You don't look fine to me," Melvin stated. "You're the new boy in our class. Darien, right?" The boy nodded. "I'm Melvin."

"And my name is Serena," she said warmly. "Why are you so sad?"

New tears formed in Darien's eyes. "I miss _hiccup_ my mommy and daddy. They're not here anymore and I live with new people."

"Well we can be your friends until they come back," Serena said.

"Yeah," Melvin said excitedly. "This is our secret hiding place. But you can hide here if you feel sad and don't want people to see you crying. We won't tell."

Darien smiled. "Thank you."

------

As time went on Darien became quite popular among all the kids in his class, but he always ate lunch with Serena and Melvin before going to play with everyone else at recess. One day Darien was eating lunch with Serena alone. "Where's Melvin today?" Darien asked.

"He's sick. My mommy's taking me to see him after school. You can come if you want." She opened her lunch and offered Darien a cookie that he gladly took.

"Why don't you and Melvin ever play with the other kids?" Darien suddenly asked.

Serena stopped eating her sandwich for a moment. "Some of them don't like us. They call Melvin a nerd and Beryl always gets them to call me Ugly Fatty." Tears filled her eyes and Darien took her hand.

"You're not ugly," Darien said with a smile. "You're beautiful like my mommy was." Serena smiled back at him.

"EWWWW!" a voice said in front of them. Serena and Darien looked up and found Beryl with her friends staring at them. "What are you doing here with Ugly Fatty?" Beryl had set her sights on Darien and was planning to have lunch with him. She noticed that he was running towards a large tree and followed him, but was surprised to find Serena there too.

"Don't call her that," Darien said angrily. The children laughed.

"You like her," Beryl sneered. "Darien and Fatty sitting in a tree," she started singing. The other kids joined in after her. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes marriage… "

"Stop singing that!" Darien yelled cutting short their song. "I don't like her. I was just… helping her eat her lunch so… she wouldn't be so fat." Serena looked at him with hurt as tears filled her eyes. Darien immediately felt bad when he saw her face.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Beryl said meanly. "Now that you're done you can eat your lunch with me."

Beryl and her friends left and Darien followed. He looked back at Serena who was sitting there crying by herself. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it right then. _I'm sorry, Serena._


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 2_

Serena, a senior at Crossroads High School, was at lunch and went to sit with Melvin and his girlfriend Molly like she usually did. She thinned out and grew up into a beautiful young woman. She could have easily fit into the popular clique, but she chose to stay loyal to her lifetime best friend. Melvin didn't turn out so bad himself; he still wore glasses and some considered him a nerd, but he was attractive in his own way. Serena met Molly in 7th grade and introduced her to Melvin; the rest for them was history when they started dating 2 years ago. "Hey guys," Serena said taking a seat in front of Molly and Melvin.

"Hey Serena," they chirped together.

Serena laughed at them. "Both of you are too cute."

"Are you going to Mina's Halloween party tomorrow?" Molly asked. "Melvin and I picked costumes already."

"Yeah, since the theme is fictional characters we decided to match," Melvin said. "I'm gonna be Peter Parker since I've always loved Spiderman and Molly's gonna be Mary Jane."

"Why don't you just go as Spiderman?" Serena asked.

"I'm gonna bring the mask, but his alter ego fits me better."

"So are you going, Serena?"

"I want to, but I don't want to run into that stupid jerk."

"You mean Darien?" Melvin asked. "Well since Mina is Darien's best friend's girlfriend it's likely he'll be there." Serena groaned. "Why do you hate him so much anyway?"

"It's probably because he's dating Beryl instead of Serena," Molly said. "Someone's jealous."

"I am not jealous of that," Serena protested. In truth she didn't like the idea of Darien dating Beryl, but as far as she was concerned she could have him. She had a crush on Darien once, but was still hurt because of what happened in kindergarten. She never told Melvin what happened that day. "I forgot," Serena said standing up. "I have to ask Mrs. H. about something. I'll see you later." As soon as she turned around she tripped. She would have fallen onto the ground hadn't someone been there to break her fall. "I'm sorry," she mumbled before looking up at who she fell into. She scowled when she saw who it was. "Oh it's you. I take it back."

"Always tripping and hurting someone else too, aren't you Serena?" he said.

"You are such a jerk, Darien!" Serena shouted before storming off.

_Why do you have to be so difficult? _Darien asked her mentally. He would have been nicer to her if she wasn't so cold to him all the time. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt someone wrap an arm around his waist. Beryl appeared beside him.

"Hey handsome," she said before kissing him. "Was she bothering you? I can make you forget about her if you want me to."

"It's not important," Darien said. "Who are you gonna be for Halloween?"


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 3_

Mina was pleased with the way her party had turned out. She made a perfect Alice in Wonderland and admired everyone else's costumes as well. She loved how Molly and Melvin matched as Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Darien was dressed as Prince Charming and Beryl had a perfect resemblance to the evil queen from Snow White. _The part fits her well enough_ she thought to herself. More people were there and they had impressive costumes as well.

"Hey gorgeous," Andrew dressed as Huckleberry Finn said interrupting her thoughts. "Are you having a good time tonight?"

"Yeah," she said kissing his cheek. "I was just admiring everyone's costumes." The doorbell rang. "I'll be back." She answered the door and found Cinderella with a masquerade mask on. Mina took a closer look and realized who it was. "Serena! You made it. I was afraid you weren't gonna come."

"Well here I am," Serena said with a smile. "Don't be so loud. I don't want anyone to know who I am. Is the party going well?"

"Yeah, everyone's having a blast. You should see all the costumes. Make yourself at home." She left Serena and went back to Andrew who was staring at the new arrival.

Serena noticed and giggled when she saw that many of the boys were staring at her and whispering. _I guess my costume isn't so bad after all. _She walked around and found someone with a Spiderman mask on holding a red head's hand. "Hi guys," she said to them.

"Serena!" Melvin exclaimed removing his mask.

"Not so loud, Melvin," Serena scolded.

"You look great," Molly said. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"I just felt like being mysterious," Serena said looking around. She caught sight of Darien dressed as Prince Charming staring at her from across the room and Beryl dressed as a queen yelling at him.

Mina stood on top of a table. "Attention, attention," she said loudly. "I want to see some dancing action. The rules are everyone has to dance with someone they didn't come with. No exceptions!" She got down and started some music.

Serena was about to ask Melvin to dance until someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and frowned inwardly when she saw it was Darien, but put a smile on her face. "May I have this dance, my lady?" Darien said extending his hand to her.

She reluctantly accepted, but once they were dancing all negative feelings toward him seemed to disappear. Serena relived the brief happy times she had with Darien in kindergarten and felt safe in his arms for some reason. The song ended and they broke apart, but continued looking at each other. "Thank you for the dance," Serena finally said before turning to walk away.

Darien grabbed her wrist and stopped her causing her to turn to face him again. "Who are you? You're very beautiful and very graceful."

Serena looked at him sadly. "I don't think you'd be saying that if you knew who the person under this mask was. You'd be disappointed."

"You have to be mistaken. Please tell me who you are," Darien practically begged.

Serena sighed. "Does the name 'Ugly Fatty' ring a bell?" Darien gasped as she removed the mask and threw it at his feet. She saw the recognition and sadness in his eyes before she turned and walked away. Darien was left speechless.


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter 4_

"I didn't believe her at first," Darien was saying to Andrew. They were working together on a homework assignment and took a break. Andrew noticed something was off and pried the information from him. "But she took off her mask and there was Serena. Klutzy, crybaby, hates my guts Serena." Darien groaned. "What should I do?"

"Well she's obviously mad at you for some reason," Andrew said. "What is the significance of 'ugly fatty'?"

"It's a nickname Beryl gave to her a long time ago. Beryl has always disliked Serena and called her worse names than that. I would think that she's gotten over that one by now. I never called her that, but she's still mad at me."

"Have you done anything mean to her besides your regular sparring matches at lunch?"

"Not that I remember. She's the one who always starts it. I just try to defend myself, but I've never done anything evil to her. She's so annoying!"

"Maybe she's jealous that Beryl got you and she didn't." Darien glared at him. "It was just a suggestion. I didn't say it was a fact."

"I think your suggestion is way off. Serena can't stand me." Darien looked at his watch. "I have to meet Beryl for lunch," he said gathering his things. "I'll see you later."

"Don't obsess over her. I know how you get. See you later."

Darien was supposed to meet Beryl at the café and took a shortcut through the park to get there faster because he was running a little late. He was power walking, but stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar red head sitting on a bench with another guy. He walked closer to the couple and saw that it was Beryl in a lip lock with Diamond Carson. "What happened to our date?" he asked angrily.

Beryl pulled away from Diamond and looked up in surprise at Darien. "D-Darien, i-it's not what it looks like…"

"And what does being in a lip lock with someone who isn't your boyfriend supposed to mean? Are you just extremely close friends or something?" Beryl stammered but Darien continued. "Save it. I don't want to hear anymore of your excuses. You and I are over!" Darien stormed away.

Darien went to the café and got himself some coffee to calm himself down. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, but someone finally got him out of his pity party. He noticed that Serena had walked in and was sitting at the counter drinking a milkshake. Darien finished his coffee and walked over to her. "Is it ok if I sit here?" he said to her. Serena looked up at him and shrugged before going back to her Sudoku puzzle. Darien noticed that she wasn't gonna speak to him so he did it first. "I enjoyed the dance with you. I don't regret anything I said about you being beautiful and graceful."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Serena said shortly.

"Why do you act so cold to me all the time? Did I do something to offend you?"

Serena sighed and looked up at him. "Yes."

"What did I do?"

"Does the name 'ugly fatty' ring a bell?" she said to him again.

"That's the nickname Beryl called you all the time. What does it have to do with me?"

"Everything," Serena said sadly.

Darien was getting frustrated with her vague answers. "I don't understand what you're talking about. How do I fit into the equation when Beryl was the one who called you that? I never said it."

"You said I was fat," Serena said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"You said I was fat," she said louder. "Don't you remember? You told Beryl and all of them that you were eating my lunch so I wouldn't be so fat right after you said…" she stopped herself.

_You're beautiful like my mommy _Darien remembered suddenly feeling very guilty. "I didn't mean it."

"You didn't mean it," Serena laughed spitefully to herself. "That's why you never apologized or ate lunch with me or Melvin ever again. Because you didn't mean it."

"I was just a kid when that happened. I didn't know any better."

Serena held her hand up. "Save it. I'm not that ugly fat girl anymore who trusts people so easily. You could have changed something over all these years, but you didn't. I'm more than just a pretty face now and your charm or whatever the girls call it won't work on me. I've already decided to forgive you, but it's gonna take a lot more on your part to earn my respect." She got up and left Darien sitting at the counter.


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter 5_

Darien felt as guilty as could be and wanted to do something about Serena. He remembered all the lonely times he had when his parents died and when he moved in with his foster family. Serena was the first person to talk to him as a friend and helped him forget his loneliness. In his mind, she deserved better and he wanted to earn her respect and friendship back. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he was determined to make an effort. At lunch he tried to talk to her though she was sitting with Molly and Melvin. "Serena, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Serena looked up at him. "What do you want?" she said in a normal tone of voice.

"I'm sorry," Darien said sincerely. He thought that swallowing his pride and apologizing would do it for her. "I'm sorry about everything. I want things to change and to start over." Molly and Melvin looked at each other in confusion.

"I already forgave you, but it's gonna take a lot more than your words. You have to prove it."

Darien thought about it until an idea formed in his head. "I'll spend time with you. I'm sure you have stuff going on outside of school so I'll participate in whatever it is you do. That way I can see what you do and prove to you that I'm not that shallow."

"Won't your girlfriend get jealous?" Serena asked skeptically.

"Beryl and I are done," Darien said. "I dumped her. What's your excuse now?"

"I guess I don't have one. Ok, you have a deal. Meet me after school and we'll get started."

Darien smiled and got up to sit with his other friends for lunch. _At least she didn't yell at me. That's one step in the right direction._

-----

Darien met up with Serena after school as promised and followed her to a local hospital. "I volunteer here in the children's ward," Serena told him while signing in both of their names. "My job is to help them feel better." Darien wasn't looking forward to dealing with children all afternoon, but he wasn't surprised that Serena did it; he remembered from childhood how she cheered him up. After seeing a few children they came to a little girl's room where nurses were coming out mumbling to themselves.

"She's such a brat!" one of them said.

"No wonder no one wants to see her," the other one said closing the door. She looked up and saw Serena and Darien standing there. "Hello, Serena. Rini is being difficult today."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Serena replied. "She's only 7 so you can't be too hard on her." The nurses walked away leaving Darien and Serena in front of the room. "Are you ready?"

"How bad could she be?" Darien muttered when they walked inside.

"It's you again," the little girl said to Serena. "How long do you have to stay here?"

"Half an hour," Serena said. "How are you feeling today, Rini?"

"I've been better," she said. "I can hear what all those nurses say about me. And my parents are too busy working to come see me. I haven't seen them in two days. Now I'm stuck with you."

Darien was about to bust when he heard what Rini was saying, but Serena's response surprised him. "You're never gonna get better with that kind of attitude," Serena said taking her hand. "You've gotta think positively."

"But it's so hard," Rini said quietly. "They poke me with needles and expect me to sit still. They run all these tests and ask me all these questions over and over again. It's just annoying."

"They're just trying to help you," Serena said pulling her into a hug. "You've gotta do your part so you can let them do their job."

Rini smiled and hugged her back. "Thank you, Serena. I love you."

"I love you too." Darien was touched. He couldn't believe how quickly Serena was able to turn a spoiled child into a loving person. _She has enough love to share with everyone. "_Have you met my friend Darien?" Serena asked. After introductions, Darien felt some kind of bond with Rini and got along with her without any problems. He decided that volunteering with children isn't so bad after all.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: Whew...halfway done. To be honest I feel like this story is getting weaker as I go, but I still wanna finish it. It shouldn't be any longer than 10 chapters so please let me know how you like it. I'd appreciate reviews, but I'm enjoying getting all the notfications that people are adding this to their favorite stories.**

_Chapter 6_

After volunteering at the hospital, Darien took Serena to the café and they had ice cream together. "How often do you volunteer at the hospital?" Darien asked.

"Three times a week," Serena said. "But I've been visiting Rini almost every day since her parents don't do it. It's so sad."

"You were really good with her," Darien admitted. "I probably would have lost it after she gave you that attitude."

"That's why showing love to people is so important. You never know how far it'll go."

"So what else do you do besides volunteer at the hospital?"

"Sometimes I babysit, other days I tutor my brother, I run errands for my parents, help my friends…"

"Busy, busy, aren't you?"

Serena shrugged. Silence loomed between the two of them until Serena spoke up. "Listen, Darien. I owe you an apology. I'm sorry for being mean to you all these years. You hurt my feelings, but like you I could have changed some things too."

"Don't worry about it. I deserved it. But I still want to earn your respect. I missed out on a wonderful friendship with you because of a mistake I made and I want to make up for lost time."

"You don't have to…"

"I want to. Please Serena?"

Serena smiled. "Ok. Oh, I almost forgot about the soup kitchen after church on Sunday. We serve the homeless every week. That's something else I'm involved with. But we don't have to do what I want all the time. What would you like to do?"

"I'll be glad to go to the soup kitchen if you can sit with me at lunch for at least the rest of the week."

"Can Melvin and Molly come too?"

"Your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends. If there's a problem then I'll take care of it." Darien paid for the ice cream and walked Serena home.

------

The next day at lunch was different, but it went well for the most part. As promised Serena, Molly, and Melvin sat with Darien and his friends. It was a little awkward at first, but Mina got the ball rolling since she was a mutual friend. "Did anyone understand Mrs. B's assignment? Her instructions were so vague." That question alone got everyone's attention since she was a teacher most people didn't like very well.

"No. I hate her so much," Andrew was saying. "She thinks she's tough stuff since she belittles you and makes you feel like a 5 year old."

"And she gives us way too much busy work," Molly said. "Even Amy thinks it's too much and she's the smartest one in our class."

"Her voice is annoying," Rae said. "She talks so monotone like I wanna fall asleep, but passing notes to Chad help me stay awake." She nudged Chad in the arm.

"I'm glad I don't have her," Darien said. "She sounds like a pain in the butt."

"She is!" Andrew, Mina, Molly, Chad, and Rae said together

"She's probably trying to prepare you guys for college," Serena said. "Professors are probably gonna be worse than she is. I bet you're learning a lot though."

"I guess so," Chad said. "She's giving tips about AP testing and stuff." The rest nodded their heads in agreement.

"See? You never know what'll happen," Serena said. "You guys will probably end up graduating with the most honors and readiness for college."

They murmured their agreement. Darien watched the whole conversation with amusement and wonder when Serena came in. She definitely had a way with words and was able to encourage people despite the circumstances. "Did anyone get an invitation to Sapphire's birthday party on Sunday?" he asked. Everyone shook their heads no.

"I didn't hear anything about it," Andrew said.

"They wouldn't invite Molly and I anyway," Melvin said sadly.

"Are you gonna go Darien? I heard they're loaded so it's probably gonna be one of the best parties of the year." Mina asked.

"I don't want to go," Darien said. Sapphire was Diamond's younger brother so it was likely that Beryl would be there. He definitely didn't want to see her or her secret lover.

"We don't have to worry about them," Serena said as an idea popped into her head. "It might be a dumb question, but would any of you be interested in going to the soup kitchen on Sunday instead?"

"What's the soup kitchen?" Rae asked.

"It's a place where we serve homeless people a meal to eat. There's volunteers who do it every day, but my Sunday School class agreed to do it every Sunday after church."

"A lot of people don't like to do it because they're uncomfortable with the homeless, but they're some of the sweetest people ever," Molly said.

"They don't usually have a lot of help either, so Molly and I have been volunteering on weekdays too," Melvin said.

"I'd like to do help," Rae said. "It sounds interesting. Chad can come too."

"Why do I have to?" Chad muttered. She nudged him in the shoulder. "I mean, yeah I'll be there."

"We're in too," Andrew said while Mina nodded. "We could use it for service hours."

"And I'd have to ask my parents first, but you all can just come over afterwards and we'll hang out and do something fun. It can be our own party." The rest of the conversation at the table revolved around planning for the soup kitchen.

Darien was amazed again by Serena. She had convinced his friends that helping people in need was better than going to a party hosted by the most popular people at school. _In two days I've already learned so much about Serena. She's loving, encouraging, and mobilizing people into action. What surprises are next?_


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's notes: I still feel like this story is going downhill, but it's not horrible so I'm still gonna finish it. I have three chapters left but they probably won't be up until next week because I'm in college and I've gotta lotta work to get done. Happy reading and please review. Thank you.**

_Chapter 7_

After a week of Serena sitting with him and his friends, Darien went to the soup kitchen as promised. He was pleased that his friends had taken a liking to her so much in such a short time, but he caught Beryl giving him an evil look a few times when she saw him with Serena. Darien had even made arrangements to go to church with Serena so he could get to the soup kitchen faster. He gave the address to his friends and told them to meet him there before 1:30pm. Darien was surprised that the church service didn't bore him; there was singing, reading of the Bible, more singing, and preaching, but the message of loving and serving others was very clear to him.

Church ended around 12:15pm so Darien went with Serena and a couple of her friends from Sunday school Lita and Ken to Wendy's before going to the soup kitchen. "We're not allowed to eat the food there," Serena said. "so we usually eat a little something beforehand."

"Yeah," Ken said. "You never know how long it's been since they've eaten and it's kinda rude when you already have so much."

"We don't serve them some stuff that comes from a can either," Lita added. "It's all homemade and I like to help them cook it."

"Wow," Darien said. "You really like to spoil them."

"Someone has to show them love," Serena said. "A lot of people just don't care about them, but they are some of the coolest people ever. I know you and your friends will enjoy it."

Ken checked his watch. "We'd better get going if we wanna get there on time." They all rode with Ken and arrived at the soup kitchen at the same time Andrew, Mina, Chad, and Rae did. Molly and Melvin were already inside setting up tables and chairs. A line had already formed outside and Darien noticed that it was mostly men who wore raggedy clothes and looked gruff.

"Hey Serena!" one of the men said cheerfully.

Serena turned to a man at the end of the line and smiled. "Hi Joe. How are you today?"

"I'm wonderful. Do ya have any idea what we're eatin' today?"

"I'm not sure, but you'll find out soon enough." Serena proceeded to greet each person by name before going inside with Darien. It was about 1pm so they had time to help the other volunteers with some final set up. After a brief overview of the rules, Lita and Ken helped in the kitchen, Rae and Chad filled glasses with tea, Mina and Andrew set silverware into napkins, and Serena and Darien put food on the plates. "Everyone gets a chance to get a plate and set it in front of each person once they're seated," Serena explained while they tied aprons on. "Don't be scared to talk to them."

1:30pm came and it was time to get started. The doors were opened and all of the homeless filed in a single line waiting to be seated. Once a table was full, each of the volunteers took turns setting a plate of hot food in front of the guest. Darien felt a little awkward at first, but everyone he gave a plate to was polite and friendly enough so that feeling quickly disappeared. While waiting to get another plate of food he watched Serena in action across the room. She was standing at a table laughing with the guests and listening intently to their stories. _That girl never ceases to amaze me. _His friends looked like they were enjoying themselves too. He got another plate of food and served it to a short older lady who just arrived at a table by herself. "Here you are ma'am," Darien said once he set the plate in front of her.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Have a seat. I'd like the company." Darien obliged happily. "What's your name? I've never seen you before."

"I'm Darien. Serena invited me today."

"It's nice to meet ya, Darien. I'm Alice Mae." She ate her food and made small talk with Darien at the same time. "That Serena girl is so sweet, isn't she?"

"She is," Darien said as he watched her.

Alice Mae smiled knowingly. "Don't let her get away." Darien looked at her sharply and she laughed heartily. "You heard what I said, boy. She's too valuable to lose."

Once all of the homeless people were gone, all of the volunteers stayed to help clean everything up. Tables were wiped, plates were scraped, dishes were washed, and the floor was swept and vacuumed. After saying goodbyes, the teenagers made their way to Serena's house. "I didn't think it was possible," Chad was saying. "but I had a good time at the soup kitchen."

"I told you so," Rae said eating a cookie Serena's mother had brought into the den. "I think I'm gonna help there more often. The ladies gave me a brochure with all of the information."

"Yeah, I don't think it'll be the last time we'll go there either," Andrew said.

"Those people are so nice," Mina added. "I could have listened to their stories for hours. My perspective has definitely been changed."

"It's a shame they have to live on the streets though," Darien said.

"Not all of them do," Serena explained. "The Union Mission is an organization near the soup kitchen that allows homeless people to have free room and board. They give them materials and train them so they can get out of homelessness. They're the ones who opened the soup kitchen."

"That's wonderful," Mina said.

They continued talking and soon Darien's cell phone went off. Darien looked at the number and didn't recognize it, but he answered it anyway. "Hello."

"Darien," the voice said.

"Beryl," he said flatly. _I've gotta change my number_. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering why you weren't at Sapphire's party. He did invite you, didn't he?"

"I didn't wanna come. I made other plans."

"Other plans? What could be better than this party?"

"I went to the soup kitchen. Now if you're done being nosy I have to go." He hung up on her. Darien thought about it and decided that it was worth so much more to serve others than to be at a party he'd be bored at. He was enjoying spending time with Serena very much and had seen her in such a different light. It made him wonder why he didn't put forth the effort to start their friendship sooner. Alice Mae's words came back to him. _She's too valuable to lose_. He looked at the time and went to find Serena. "Hey Serena," he said standing above everyone. "I just remembered something I have to do so I've gotta get going."

Serena stood up. "I'll walk you to the door." She walked with him to the door and opened it for him. "Did you have a good day?"

"It was great. I really enjoyed it."

"Darien you know you don't have to keep spending time with me if you don't want to. I accepted your apology and after today I see that you mean it."

"But I wanna spend time with you. Isn't that what friends do?" For some reason Darien regretted asking that.

"Yeah," Serena said quietly. "That's what friends do. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow." He drove off wondering why he felt so awkward.

-----

Darien came to the Sentara hospital an hour before visiting hours were over. He checked in with the receptionist. "Nurse Jones?" he asked.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hey Darien," she said passing him the clipboard to sign in. "Here to see Rini again?"

"Yeah," he said signing in. He had been visiting Rini everyday since he first met her. "How is she?"

"She's better, but she still has a ways to go before they can release her. You remember what room she's in?" Darien nodded. "Go ahead then. Have fun." Darien waved at her and headed to Rini's room. He entered her room and found her watching some old cartoons. She looked up when she heard someone enter and got excited when she saw who it was. "Darien!" she turned off the TV and smiled brightly at him.

"Hi Rini," he said pulling a chair beside her bed and taking a seat. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Is Serena here?"

He shook his head no. "It's just me again. I just wanted to check on you."

"That is so nice that you keep visiting me. My mommy came to see me today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. She told me she was sorry she and daddy had to work so much, but they needed money to pay for me to stay here. She said they're gonna make more time to visit me."

"That's wonderful, Rini." Rini studied him for a moment. "What is something on my face?"

Rini giggled. "No silly. You're thinking about her again."

Darien smiled at her. "You're way too intuitive for an 8 year old." She looked at him confusedly because she didn't know what intuitive meant. "But yeah, I'm thinking about Serena again." He had told her of his plan to earn Serena's trust again and explained his progress whenever he visited. He told her about the events of the day, but left out the part about what Alice Mae had said to him. "She told me that she believes my apology now."

"Good, so what's wrong? You looked a little sad about it."

"I really like spending time with her. She's sweet, funny, kind, loving…"

"I could have told you that," Rini said.

He sighed. "But I think I realized something while I told you about what happened today."

"What?" Rini leaned forward in anticipation.

"I've fallen for her."


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's notes: So I lied and put up another chapter. This story is definitely gonna end up being 10 chapters complete with an epilogue, but it won't be up until next week. Heads up: Beryl will not give up so easily... I have something specially planned for her after this chapter so get ready. Thank you to everyone who has given me feedback. Comments are always welcome. Happy reading!**

Over the next few months since Darien realized his feelings for Serena, he made the effort to spend extra time with her so he could see if she felt the same way. If not, then he was determined to do whatever it took to win her heart. One day after school he went with Serena to the nearby café to have a snack before accompanying her to Sentara hospital to volunteer with the children again. "I'm glad you've decided to volunteer at the hospital too, Darien," Serena said to him.

"To be honest I wasn't looking forward to it the first time I went with you, but now it's become one of the highlights of my week."

"The kids like you a lot."

"I noticed. I've always wanted to be a doctor, but now I'm seriously considering becoming a pediatrician."

"That's wonderful." They continued eating and had a wonderful time talking about any and everything. As soon as they finished, Serena pulled out her wallet to pay. "You paid for the last 2 weeks. Let me do it this time; I don't want you to go broke."

Darien smiled appreciatively at her. Suddenly they were interrupted by Beryl's presence. She sat in the booth across from Darien where Serena was and used her body weight to pretty much shove Serena against the wall so she could be in Darien's line of sight. Serena wanted to tell her off, but decided to keep quiet instead. "Darien, I need to talk to you."

Darien groaned. "What is there to talk about, Beryl?"

She took his hands into his. Darien immediately pulled his hands back. "I miss you and I want to make things right with you. Can we start over? Please?"

"No," he said coldly. "I told you we were over and I meant it."

"But why?" she whined.

"Once a cheater always a cheater. That's the rule I live by. I can't trust you."

Beryl huffed and stood up. "Suit yourself, Darien. I was giving you one last opportunity to be with me, but I guess you blew it." She looked Serena up and down with a glare. "Don't come crying to me when you realize what you missed out on." She stormed away.

"Good riddance," Darien muttered. "Are you ready to get going?"

Serena stood up at the same time Darien did. "Yeah, we can go." They walked together towards the hospital, but Serena was still bothered by what happened in the café. "So that's why the two of you broke up," she said out loud. "I'm really sorry, Darien."

"Don't be. Breaking up with her was probably the best thing to happen to me. It made me realize what kind of person Beryl really was. She didn't hurt you when she shoved you did she?"

"No I'm fine. Thank you." They arrived at the hospital and made their rounds in the children's ward after signing in.

-----

Serena and Darien came to their final stop at Rini's room and entered together. "Hi Rini," Serena said taking a seat.

"Serena! Darien!" Rini exclaimed practically bouncing off of the bed. "Guess what? Guess what?"

"I give up Rini," Darien said. "Why are you so excited?"

"The doctors said I can go home tomorrow! They figured out what was wrong with me and were able to find the right medicine for me to take. As long as I take that medicine every day I'll be fine."

"That's so exciting Rini," Serena said hugging her. "I'm so happy for you."

"We'll definitely miss seeing you around here," Darien added. He and Rini shared a look casting quick glances at Serena, but if Serena noticed she didn't say anything.

Suddenly a knock was heard on the door. "Rini?" a woman said entering the room with a man behind her. "We're here."

"Mommy! Daddy!" she exclaimed as they each hugged and kissed their daughter. "Did you meet Serena and Darien?"

The couple turned around and noticed Serena and Darien sitting to the side. "We've heard so much about you," the woman said. "I'm Sarah James. It's so good to meet you."

"And I'm Edward James," the man said shaking each of their hands. "Thank you for visiting with our daughter every single day for the last few months. Rini speaks so highly of you."

"Oh no sir," Serena started. "We never…"

"It wasn't a problem sir," Darien interrupted. "Rini is a special little girl. I'm glad she's going to be able to go home."

Serena looked at Darien with wonder and surprise and Darien simply smiled at her. _He visited her every day. How sweet._

"Can Serena and Darien visit me at our house?" Rini asked. "They're the coolest people in the world and I'd miss them too much."

"I don't see a problem with it," Mrs. James said.

"Here's my business card," Mr. James said giving one to Serena and Darien. "Our home address and our phone number are printed on there."

"Thank you so much," Serena said. "I've got to get going, but I'll be here before they release you tomorrow Rini."

"Ok, bye Serena," Rini said waving to her as she went out the door. "Did you ask her yet?" she asked Darien.

"I will," Darien said. "The Valentine's dance is coming up so that's when my plan will come together."

"I hope it works," Rini said. "All your other attempts were lame." Mr. and Mrs. James just smiled and nodded at the interchange going on between their daughter and Darien.

-----

A couple of days later Serena was studying with Melvin at his house, but decided to take a break and catch up on life. "He asked you to the dance?" Melvin asked. "When did this happen?"

"He asked me yesterday afternoon," Serena replied. She gave him all of the details as she remembered what happened.

_Flashback_

_After school Darien stopped Serena at her locker. "Hey I was wondering if I could ask you something."_

_"Go ahead. I'm listening."_

_"The Valentine's dance is next weekend and everyone is gonna be there. Since I have no one to go with and you have no one to go with, would it be ok if we went together?"_

_"I don't know Darien…"_

_"Please Serena? I know Valentine's Day is when people decide to rub in the fact that they're in a relationship, but we can break that tradition. We could go together as two single people and prove that we can still have fun." He paused. "Did someone ask you to go already?"_

_"No, no," Serena said quickly. "I've never thought about breaking tradition on Valentine's day that way before. I'll do it; I'll go with you to the dance."_

"That's wonderful Serena," Melvin said happily. "It's so cool that you two have developed such a close friendship in the last few months. I never understood why you two never got along in the first place."

Serena frowned and looked down. "You weren't there that day," she said quietly. "Remember our secret tree in kindergarten?" Melvin nodded. "Well Darien and I were eating lunch together and Beryl found us. She started teasing me and Darien defended me until she started making fun of him. Then he lied and told them he was only eating with me to help me not to be so fat."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Serena shrugged. "I would have given him a piece of my mind."

Serena laughed. "No offense Melvin, but I doubt he'd have taken you seriously."

"I'd still do it anyway because no one has the right to make fun of my best friend. But he's lucky you've decided to build a friendship with him."

"I think I've built more than a friendship with Darien," Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Melvin smiled when he saw Serena blush and giggle. "I know that look. You like him don't you? But it's more than a simple crush so you've got some explaining to do young lady." Serena laughed because she knew she couldn't lie to Melvin so she explained how she got to the point of falling in love with Darien Shields.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 9**_

A few days later Serena was sitting at lunch with Andrew, Mina, Rae and Chad talking excitedly about her plans for the dance with the girls. Melvin and Molly joined them a bit later. "Where's Darien?" Serena asked.

"He had to go to the guidance office, but he'll be here soon," Melvin said.

"Molly, have you picked a dress for the dance yet?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty much the best dress ever. I have a picture of it on my phone. Take a look!" Molly pulled out her cell phone and showed the girls a picture of her dress as they continued their conversation about the dance.

"I'm gonna go broke after all this is over," Andrew whispered to the guys. They nodded their heads in agreement. Suddenly Beryl came storming in stopping at the place Serena was sitting.

"Hey everyone!" she yelled getting everyone's attention in the cafeteria. "I have a poem Serena wrote to Darien when she was in kindergarten. I have to give you a little background information first. Serena here was a bit bigger than the other kids and went by the name ugly fatty. Check it out!" She held up a poster with a blown up picture of Serena in kindergarten and just about everyone laughed. Melvin happened to be sitting right behind Beryl so he snatched the poster from her hands and ripped it up. Beryl glared at him, but continued anyway. "It doesn't matter. Now that everyone has an image of Ugly Fatty stuck in their brains they're ready to hear the poem she wrote." She took out a piece of paper and made sure to stay out of anyone's reaching range. "_Roses are red. Violets are blue. I don't care what you see because I still love you._" Beryl cackled and caused everyone else to laugh too.

"I didn't write that Beryl and you know it," Serena said as her voice broke.

"I know about the crush you had on Darien and you just stole him from me to get him for yourself. He had the sense enough to get rid of you when we were in kindergarten and it won't be long before he does it to you now. He's just pretending to like you so he can get what he really wants," she said using her hands to model her body. "Just face it Ugly: Darien will never love someone like you. You're just a weak, insignificant, crybaby …"

"Beryl, that's enough!" Darien's voice boomed. Everyone turned towards the direction of Darien's voice as he marched up to Beryl. "You've embarrassed Serena enough and I won't stand for it. I'm gonna do something I should have done a long time ago. I was a naïve coward for going along with you the first time and keeping quiet. You had no right to point out Serena's flaws when you have plenty of your own like that giant gap in the middle of your teeth." Beryl gasped. "I've learned something over the years. I knew it then and I know it now: Serena's heart is the best thing about her. She's more of a woman than you'll ever be. Make fun of her again and I'll make you wish you hadn't." Darien looked around the cafeteria. "That goes for anyone else too," he said in a low voice, but still loud enough for everyone to hear. Beryl stormed out of the cafeteria.

-----

Serena had gone into the hallway while Darien was telling Beryl off, but heard every single word he said to her. She was startled when someone sat beside her on the bench she was sitting on, but relaxed when she saw who was there. "Did you mean what you said?" Serena asked quietly.

Darien smiled at her. "Absolutely. Beryl had that coming to her and I've been too cowardly to say something until now. I'm sorry for not standing up for you sooner."

"You don't have anything to apologize for."

"Yes I do. You were one of my first friends and I totally betrayed you. Maybe talking to me didn't seem like much, but it helped me so much after dealing with so much with my parents' death. But it's too shameful to think that I had the nerve enough to push you away."

"It's all in the past now and after today and everything I truly believe you've made it right."

"Good." Darien looked her over and noticed that she had been crying. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Serena said wiping her eyes. "I just didn't want everyone to see a crybaby out there or hear them laughing at me or…"

"It doesn't matter what they think," Darien said interrupting her. "If they have a problem they'll have to deal with me first."

Serena smiled and impulsively hugged him. "Thank you, Darien."

Darien was surprised by Serena's actions at first, but felt peace knowing that she trusted him. "You're welcome. What time am I picking you up for the dance?"


	10. Chapter 9 and Epilogue

_Chapter 10_

Saturday was Valentine's Day and the night of the dance. Darien picked up some flowers that afternoon; he got a few pink sweet peas and red, white, and pink roses. After picking out what he was going to wear to the dance and dropping off the roses, he took the violets and visited Rini at her house. As soon as he rang the doorbell Mrs. James welcomed him right in. "Darien! It's so good to see you!"

"I'm glad to be here," he said. "Is Rini here? I wanted to talk to her about something."

"She's in her room doing her homework, but I think she'll enjoy the interruption. Come on in." Darien stepped inside as Mrs. James closed the door behind him. "You can go ahead and sit in the den and I'll get Rini for you. Make yourself at home."

"Thank you, Mrs. James," he said taking off his jacket. Within a few minutes, Rini came into the den with a plate of cookies and jumped excitedly when she saw who had come to see her.

"Darien!" she screamed as she set the plate down and ran to hug him.

"Hey Rini!" Darien said hugging her tightly. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Mommy and I made Valentine's cookies today. She wanted to help me celebrate the A's and B's I got on my report card."

"All A's and B's?" Darien asked as he took a bite from the cookie she gave him. She nodded her head vigorously. "Wow, you're so smart! And you make some good cookies."

"Thank you, but that's enough about me. What about you? Have you asked Serena to be your girlfriend yet? It's Valentine's Day; you should be spending the day with her not me."

Darien laughed at her inquisitiveness. "I know what day it is, Rini. But I'm working on it. Asking Serena to the dance was the first step and tonight I'm gonna follow through with it."

Rini gasped. "Yay! Do you think she'll say yes? I think she'll say yes. It's so obvious she likes you. And then you can get married and then have kids and then live happily ever after."

"Slow down there Rini," Darien said putting his hands up. "You have a very vivid imagination. I have to ask her out first and then we'll see what happens." He picked up the flowers he brought with him and handed them to her. "These are for you."

Rini stared at the pink flowers in awe and smiled. She hugged him. "Thank you Darien. What kind of flowers are these? They're beautiful."

"They're called sweet peas and it means thank you for a lovely time. I just wanted to give these to you to thank you for being my friend and for helping me."

"You didn't have to do that." She giggled. "You should be giving flowers to Serena."

"Don't worry, that's part of my plan tonight. I'll tell you what happens later."

-----

Darien picked Serena up around 6:45pm and was pleased with the sight before him. Serena was wearing a cherry red party dress that reached her knees. It was a v-neck type dress with a halter top that tied at her neck to reveal her open back. She had a matching sweater to protect her from the cold and just enough make up to accentuate her natural beauty. Darien thought he looked nice enough with his black slacks, collared shirt and bright red tie, but Serena had outdone him and it was perfect for what he had in mind for her that evening.

They arrived at the school around 7pm and met up with Molly, Melvin, Rae, Chad, Mina, and Andrew, otherwise known as the lovebirds of their group, but enjoyed their time together anyway. There was plenty of food and drinks and lots of music to dance to. There was a mix of fast songs, slow songs, and other songs in between and Serena and Darien had fun dancing together even though they were on of the few people at the dance who weren't a couple. "Are you having fun?" Darien asked as he and Serena took a rest from dancing to eat some snacks. They were sitting right near the stage, but out of the way of the dance floor.

"Yeah, I'm having a wonderful time. I'm glad I came. I thought it was going to be annoying with all of the couples being so lovey dovey the whole time since it's Valentine's Day and all."

"Well they still are," Darien said watching a lot of the couples together. _That'll be us soon enough._

"That's true, but now I don't feel so bad since I'm here with you." She smiled at him and Darien smiled back at her.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mrs. Haruna said into the microphone getting everyone's attention. "I hope all of you are having a wonderful time at our annual Valentine's dance." Cheering and applause interrupted her speech. Once everyone quieted down she continued. "I'd like to take the time to thank all of the teachers and parents who worked so hard to put everything together to make it such a wonderful evening. Let's thank Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Shelton…"

Darien zoned out of Mrs. Haruna's speech to focus on his own thoughts. _I know it's important to thank everyone, but hurry up. _He wanted her to hurry so he could follow through with the plans he had for Serena. Applause filled the room again and brought Darien back to reality.

"Thank you everyone once again for all of your help," Mrs. Haruna said. "Now one of our students has something he would like to say. Darien Shields, please come to the stage."

Darien smiled at Serena who looked at him confusedly before going backstage. He returned to the front with three roses and made his way to the microphone. He looked straight at Serena before beginning to speak. "Serena, I realize that I was wrong for what I did to you so long ago and as you know I've been trying to make it up to you." He gave her the pink rose. "In the process I've realized what a wonderful person you are and that there's so much more to you than meets the eye. You have so much love that overflows to others. You're able to encourage anyone no matter the circumstances. You're selfless, nurturing, strong willed, forgiving and so much more. Your heart is so big and it's the best part about you." He gave her the white rose. "What I'm trying to say is that during the process of rebuilding a friendship I've fallen for you." He walked over to her, stood in front of her and held out the red rose to her with the microphone still in his hand. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Serena stood up and took the rose from him with a smile on her face. "Yes Darien. I'd love to be your girlfriend." Applause filled the room as she and Darien hugged and then shared a short gentle kiss together. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

-----

Four years later, Darien was in his room trying to tie his bowtie together. He was having a little trouble because he was so nervous. "Do you need some help?" Melvin asked as he and Andrew entered the room. Darien smiled at them appreciatively.

"Is someone nervous?" Andrew asked.

"A little bit," Darien said. "It's a big day and I'm not sure what's gonna happen. I hope I don't mess anything up."

"Don't worry so much," Melvin said. "I'm sure once you see Serena all of your fears will just disappear." By this time, Melvin had finished with Darien's tie.

"And you've been ready for this since you asked her to be your girlfriend."

"Thanks guys, but I still feel nervous."

Andrew checked his watch. "It's time to get out there. You'll be fine."

Darien went to the altar with Pastor Eric and waited anxiously as the music began playing. Chad and Rae made their way down the aisle together first followed by Mina and Andrew, then Molly and Melvin, the best man and the maid of honor. All of the girls were wearing flowing lavender dresses and the guys had tuxes with a pink flower on their lapel. Rini, who was now 12, came by herself next in a purple dress tossing rose petals down the aisle; when she came to the end she looked at Darien and mouthed "I told you so" before taking her place. Darien smiled at her before the wedding march began and everyone stood up facing the door. Serena appeared with her father in a beautiful gown and veil holding a bundle of white roses. Her ivory gown was beaded with a narrow v-neck and a low cowl back. Her hair was curled up surrounded by flower clips and she was an absolutely stunning sight to look at. She was finally standing face to face with Darien as he wiped a tear away. Serena smiled and blushed at him.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" Pastor Eric asked.

"Her mother and I do," her father said. He hugged Serena and kissed her cheek before giving her away to Darien. He patted Darien's shoulder and took a seat next to his wife.

"You look beautiful," Darien mouthed to Serena. "I love you."

"I love you too," Serena mouthed back.

"Dearly beloved," Pastor Eric began. "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Serena Adele Thompson and Darien Thomas Shields…"

_**The End**_

**Author's notes: I looked up the meanings of the flowers and here's what I came up with to fit my story. The sweet peas were explained in the story with Rini. The meanings of the pink rose were appreciation, admiration, and saying "please believe me." The white rose means purity and innocence and of course the single red rose means I love you. And finally the white bundle of roses means happy love. So I hope you liked this story…it turned out better than I thought and I'm happy. Please review it; any type of criticism is welcome. I already have another story in progress so keep a lookout for it. Thank you so much!**


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